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Friday, January 17, 2014

POPLARVILLE - Students who moved into Marion Hall for the spring semester think they’re in residence hall utopia. The $3.6 million facility houses up to 60 male students in a two-story building constructed around an open-air courtyard. “It’s like going to a Ferrari from a station wagon,” siad Alex Carlen of Leetown. He moved from a cramped two-person room in Pearl River Hall to a spacious four-person suite with friends from Hancock County. “The living room alone is three times as big as the whole room I was sharing,” said Justus Rainey of Diamondhead. He switched from Huff Hall to Marion. Residents were selected based on a grade point average of 3.5 or above. The building, equipped with wireless internet service and a laundry room, houses eight two-person suites, 11 four-person suites and a head resident’s apartment. The four-person suites feature a large living area with two bedroom alcoves at either end and two bathrooms opening off the center of the room. The switch from one roommate to three hasn’t caused any problems, Rainey said. “They all gang up in one room anyway, so there’s more room to congregate,” said Johanna Peterson, head resident. The two-person suites have a smaller, separate living area and one bathroom. Each bedroom is furnished with a captain’s bed with drawers underneath the mattress, an armoire and a desk. Marion Hall was built between the River Village women’s residence halls and the Technology Center on the site of the transportation building destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. The previous Marion Hall, located near the Alexander Administration Building, was damaged by Hurricane Katrina but was repaired enough to be used for several years. It has since been demolished. “The new student housing project has turned out to be a beautiful and functional facility,” said Dr. William Lewis, PRCC president. “We have experienced a significant increase for on-campus housing this past year and the addition of this facility has greatly enhanced our ability to meet these requests. The addition of this facility gives Pearl River Community College students access to student housing that is exceptional on-campus housing.” General contractor was Hanco Construction Co. of Hattiesburg.

Alex Carlen of Leetown relaxes in the Marion Hall suite he shares with three other Pearl River Community College students.

The bedrooms in Marion Hall are furnished with captain’s beds, armoires and desks.

Marion Hall, a $3.6 million residence hall at Pearl River Community College, was built around an open-air courtyard.PRCC Public Relations photos